The Carolina Curator

Daniel Smith is an artist, author, curator, educator, and publisher (Canonymous Press). He was the Digital Production Editor & Metadata Coordinator for American Journeys and Project Director for the North Carolina History of Health Digital Collection. He has worked in the antiquarian book trade, as well as for such institutions as Cornell University, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the University of North Carolina. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa, with degrees in Biochemistry (B.S. with Honors), Russian (B.A.), Library & Information Science (M.A.), Comparative Literature (M.F.A.), and Law (J.D.), and studied abroad in Taiwan, Germany, Guatemala, and Russia. Research interests include the history of the book, information design, the digitization of historical materials, freedom of information, and international human rights. Smith is currently available for freelance curatorial, research, writing, editing, design, and publishing projects. [Email]

UNC is linked historically to Dr. Trudeau and his sanitarium in Saranac Lake, New York through two well known individuals. Dr. Henry T. Clark [1917-2008], former UNC Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, was an intern and fellow at the Trudeau Sanitarium from 1940-1943. Dr. Clark’s papers are archived in the Southern Historical Collection in Wilson Library; a finding aid is available online. Dr. Louis Round Wilson [1876-1979], University Librarian and first director of the UNC School of Library Science, was a patient at the sanitarium in 1916, during which time he wrote letters to Edward Graham Kidder and maintained a “Tuberculosis Record Book.” These items and many others are part of the Wilson Papers housed, appropriately enough, in Wilson Library, for which Dr. Wilson is the namesake; a finding aid to the collection is available online.

Previous winners of the Bean Award are James Fraser in 2008 and Lee Hampton in 2006. James’ project title was “Molding an Independent Specialty: Plastic Surgery in Postwar America, 1919-1941” and Lee’s was “Albert Sabin and the Western Hemisphere Polio Eradication Campaign.” Both students gave earlier versions of their research at Bullitt Club lectures.

The Bean Award supports “research in the broad areas of medical history and medical humanities,” and carries a $1500 cash prize and $750 travel stipend for students to present their work at the annual meeting of the American Osler Society. As part of the application for the award, candidates must submit “a letter of support from a faculty sponsor who will assume responsibility for planning and guidance of the fellowship.” At UNC, this role has been played by Dr. H. Michael Jones, Clinical Professor of Pathology in the School of Medicine. Dr. Jones is an active member of the American Osler Society and the co-creator of Ask Osleriana, a searchable database available online.